


Silence and songbirds

by TiredOpossum



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Intrusive Thoughts, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29104668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiredOpossum/pseuds/TiredOpossum
Summary: Killing people never gets easier. That’s the thought that clouds Wilbur’s head more often than not when he opens up drawers and cabinets to find supplies. It’s worse when he recognizes them.Surviving in the apocalypse is difficult, but it’s much worse when you’re fighting both the living and the undead.
Relationships: Dream SMP Ensemble & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t have a lot to say, but if anyone sees this I hope you enjoy the story! Please look at the tags just in case you haven’t already, the first few chapters will probably be quite light (besides gore/violence), but it might deal with more serious topics later on.

Killing people never got easier. 

That was the only thought that shot through wilburs head as he scrambled through half open doors. Phil had told him that it was easier to imagine that it was just a video game. It had worked for a while, it really had, but then he was killing former classmates or people he had seen at the grocery store. Then it just made him want to vomit. 

“Wilbur! Come on!” Techno snapped. He was carrying a heavy crossbow, something he’d stolen all the way at the beginning of the end, when the boys had taken a rare opportunity to rebel, before they knew how bad everything had gotten. The mask on his face was dangling to the side, showing pale skin, one of the straps seemed to have gotten severed somehow. Wilbur couldn’t be too concerned, it would slow him down too much if he thought about what that could mean. 

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Wilbur snapped back, shooting up his middle fingers as he danced between rubble, trying not to trip. His bag was heavy with supplies and it made him clumsy, a good target for the undead and the alive alike. He could hear the stumbling that came with at least a small sized group of zombies behind him, maybe only four or so. He’d opened up a locked door and ran headfirst into a group of them. He hadn’t stayed long enough to count them. He wondered if the fear was clear on his face as he tried to brush it off. “Not everyone can be the fucking blood god.” He grunted. 

“I’m not the blood god,” his brother hummed, looking entirely too calm for the situation at hand. Wilbur breathed a sigh of relief when he reached his brother, stepping behind him to check for things that could sneak up on him. He could see Tommy standing on top of the car, keeping an eye out for anything or anyone that might give them trouble. “The blood god is beyond your comprehension.”

“Ok Tech, not to cut you short, but we gotta get going.”

“We could wait?”

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Wilbur deadpanned. He could hear Techno snicker and he felt his lips lift up slightly. “Come on, I’m gonna let Tommy know we’re in the clear so Phil can get started up.” He could hear Techno grunt in acknowledgment and Wilbur nearly crawled out of his skin when he heard one of his bolts fire off, making a sickening noise when it no doubt made contact with a zombies head. For a second he wondered if it was a child, if that kid could’ve been saved. If any of them could have been. 

Wilbur glanced behind him at his brother who kept a relaxed posture as he reloaded his crossbow and shot off another bolt. Two were laying on the ground, decay obvious on their bodies. Blackish blood dripped from the holes in their head and from their mouths. One still staggered towards Technoblade, who looked like he couldn’t care less. It was obviously an older one, one that had managed to survive this long but hadn’t developed anything dangerous yet. Wilbur stuck his fingers in his mouth and let out one sharp note. Tommy turned around quickly, eyes wide with panic for a second before he realized which whistle he had used. It was a pretty big learning curve, but they’d been trying out a whistle system to communicate loudly without words. It had a downside, as most things did, but it made all of them feel like they were in a movie. 

“Alright big man!” He shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. Wilbur snorted and waved to let him know he’d been heard. It was only Tommy’s third or fourth time scouting, but it gave him a sense of purpose and, for the most part, kept him out of danger. Wilbur could hear Techno shuffling around, heavy boot falls echoing slightly in the now abandoned building. 

“Think it’s worth marking?” He questioned. When Wilbur turned to look he watched as his brother wiped the bloody bolts on a piece of cloth he kept hanging from his bag. At one point it had been white, but now it was stiff and a rusty brown from how much blood it had seen. 

“I don’t think so? I think I got everything. If you want you could, it’s not like it would hurt.” Wilbur shrugged. He could hear the car roar to life behind him and he glanced back to check on everyone. Tommy was wiggling in one of the back windows, his feet kicking in empty air. He’d probably refused to just hop off and open up the door. 

“Eh, doesn’t matter that much. Probably collapse soon anyway.” 

Wilbur nodded in agreement. It hadn’t had much, it had been so destroyed he wasn’t actually sure what it had been at one point. Probably an office of some sort, it had plenty of desks at least. He’d managed to find a couple of bottles of ibuprofen and some cough syrup in a couple of drawers. He was actually pretty surprised it hadn’t been marked yet, it screamed loner territory. 

Techno reloaded the crossbow and Wilbur patted himself down to make sure he still had all of his weapons. The gun was still tucked in its holster, the multiple knives he carried were still in their places. He let out a soft breath of relief, he enjoyed going out and getting supplies, but it was always stressful. Mutations were happening faster and the chances of one of his family members getting bitten were inching higher and higher. The danger was high enough with the entire apocalypse going on, but he had to worry about all of the other groups of people he had seen too. 

“What happened to your mask?” They walked toward the car, glancing up towards the sky to check for anyone who could be hiding on rooftops. They’d only been shot at once but that was enough. 

“I ducked and the damn strap caught on a chunk of metal. Ruined desk I think.” Techno grumbled. “I’m lucky I didn’t catch my skin too.” The half of his face that was shown was plastered with annoyance. A flash of blue from his eyes caught the sunlight and if Wilbur was closer to his brother, he’d probably comment on how pretty that was. It was hard to find anything pretty nowadays. 

“You better be careful Techno, it’d be a pussy way to die, getting infected because you decided to make out with a piece of metal.” Wilbur teased instead. He opened up the car door and slipped inside next to Tommy, groaning when he felt the hot leather. He always sat behind the passenger seat, it felt wrong to sit on the other side. It was also nice to have room for his long legs since Tubbo usually sat in such a weird position, all scrunched up. 

“You’re so lucky we’re on the same side.” Techno huffed, getting into the car on the other side. 

“Dad,” Tommy fake whined. “Wilbur and Techno are fighting!”

“No we aren’t!” They both shouted, making Phil sigh and rub at his face. 

“As long as you two aren’t dying, I honestly could not care less.” Phil mumbled. Tubbo sat in the front seat and snickered quietly. He hadn't left the house for a while, not since winter at least. It was the start of summer now, and he had opted to stay in the car until he felt ok enough to go outside. Wilbur wished he could have that option. 

The drive back was quiet, mostly broken up by Tommy and Tubbo talking about whatever imaginary adventure they were making up lately. Their latest one was what life would be like if the apocalypse wasn’t happening, it made Wilburs chest tighten whenever he heard his younger siblings talk about regular life. They deserved a normal life, he couldn’t speak for himself, but he felt like his family deserved the very best. 

When they got home they all held their breaths, as was customary. Phil had almost gotten bit after a particularly loud conversation they’d been having. That scare was enough. They all peeked through their respective windows, Tommy crawling up on his knees to look through the back window. They had set up a perimeter of string around their house and the land it sat on in an attempt to make sure they noticed if any zombies crossed over it. Not many were in the forest anymore, but some wandered from the city and made their way to their home. They’d learned the hard way that if you thought you were safe, you were probably wrong. 

“Alright, good run boys.” Phil hummed, turning the car off and stepping outside. “Make sure you wash off the supplies you got when you can.”

Wilbur loved his father. He did. He took care of them well enough, and he provided them with food and water. It still made his vision swim and his throat burn with acid whenever he just left, not asking if they’d gotten bit or hurt themselves. Wilbur had let a cut get infected not that long ago because Phil hadn’t asked and it all felt like he was making a big deal out of nothing. The scar was obvious. A constant and painful reminder. 

Tubbo popped his door open and, after glancing around like a frightened deer, hurried into the house after Phil. Tommy let out a loud groan when Wilbur and Techno refused to move, shoving at both of his brothers. It was an unsaid plan they had formed. 

“I’m going to kick both of your asses!” He yelled. Wilbur grunted and let out a high pitched laugh of surprise when Tommy’s flailing foot caught him in the ribs. Techno remained stony faced but Wilbur could see a slight tilt to his mouth. “Bitch! You’re both bitches! Dad isn’t here so I can say whatever I want! And I’m saying that you’re both bitches because you won’t,” he grunted and Wilbur heard a sharp smack when his hand made contact with Techno’s chest. “Move!” 

In one swift move techno popped open the door, and rolled, making Tommy launch himself out and go flying. He let out a startled shriek and his body thumped against the hard packed earth, making an audible noise as the air left his body. Wilbur peeked out of the door and laughed at his brothers. Techno was crouching calmly while Tommy was face down in the dirt, his white and red shirt dusty. 

“Oh I swear!” Tommy yelled, his voice muffled until he picked himself up. “I hate you both! I hope you two get bitten! I won’t mercy kill you, you know!” He pointed at the two older boys, his face drawn into a pout. Would Wilbur be willing to mercy kill his brothers? Would they mercy kill him if it came down to it? He could feel his skin sloughing off. 

“Sorry Tommy,” Wilbur admitted, crawling out of the car and rubbing at the back of his neck. As funny as it was, it did make him feel a little bit bad. The apocalypse made it hard to joke around, he really had no idea when it would be the last day he’d be alive or if he would see his family or friends when he woke up. He squirmed at Tommy’s unwavering glare. “I am! Really! I’m not lying! Cross my heart.” 

“Fine. You’re forgiven.” He grumbled. “Techno isn’t though.” 

Techno shrugged silently and ruffled his hair as he moved past the younger boy and walked into the house. Dust flew off from his hair and Wilbur smiled at the image slightly. 

“I hate him sometimes.” Tommy mumbled. 

Wilbur glanced at him. His tone was different, this was vulnerable Tommy. It didn’t happen often, but every now and then Tommy would stop pretending like he was an adult and the realization that he really was just a little kid always shook Wilbur. The apocalypse made those things easy to forget. 

“I know you do. He means well though, really. He just… he shows love in weird ways.” Wilbur protested. He could feel his face screw into a wince and he hoped Tommy hadn’t seen. It was a shitty defense. While it was true that he did show affection differently, it was hard for people to accept it or to realize that what he was showing was actually affection. He was especially rough with Tommy. “He really loves you, Tommy. I promise.”

“Well I don’t feel loved.” He brushed the dirt off of his clothes and walked into the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up to read the tags again! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who read this! I didn’t think anyone would see this, so it means a lot! I hope you enjoy!

Wilbur sat in his room and flicked his flashlight on and off, creating a weak strobe effect. It was a shitty plastic one that Phil had picked up for their occasional camping trips before everything. It was a disgusting neon orange, and Wilbur hated it. He could hear Tommy rolling in his sheets in the room next to him. True to his word, Tommy hadn’t forgiven Techno, and Wilbur hadn’t seen the two interact since the interaction happened. When they’d sit down to eat meals Tommy would tuck himself into a corner near Tubbo and sit, glaring at everyone. Wilbur wasn’t an idiot, and he knew it probably wouldn’t end until one of them needed something from the other, or until Techno apologized. 

“I’m not an idiot.” Wilbur whispered. His voice sounded horribly loud in his room. 

He’d changed into his pajamas but they felt suffocating, wrapping around sweaty skin tightly. What if he had to leave in a hurry? What if he got bitten in his pajamas? How dumb would he look? His family had joked about zombies outfits plenty of times before. The flashlight was too warm in his hand and he turned it off and laid it next to him. The neon orange reminded him of the disgusting cheese that coated the nachos he ate at school. He missed them. 

He counted his breaths as he stared at the ceiling. The moon was bright outside of his window, and he wondered if he could drop out of it and run away. He’d snuck out plenty of times before everything, but what would be waiting for him if he jumped now? He wondered if he could see the stars. He couldn’t, he’d spent too many nights convincing himself that he could. They were far enough from the city to not get too many zombies, but close enough to deal with their pollution. Even the apocalypse didn’t seem to lessen that. He could taste copper in his mouth and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes when he realized he’d been gnawing at his bottom lip. 

Phil was up, Wilbur could hear him shuffling around downstairs. He was probably sorting food. “My cut hurts dad, can you please look at it?” Wilbur whispered. The cut on his leg burned, it was attempting to turn into a scar, but random pains would flicker through it. 

He wasn’t expecting a reply, there was no way Phil would ever hear him all the way up in his room and he really didn’t even want one, but sadness still pulled at his chest when he didn’t receive one. “You raised me and now you hate me. You can say it, I think I’d prefer if you did. It hurts to keep pretending.” Tears blurred his vision and he sniffled quietly.

Before he could stop himself he grabbed his pillow and bit into the soft material until he heard it squeak against his teeth. The tears felt cool on his skin, and they made his chin and pillow damp from where they rolled down and collected. When he pulled the pillow away strings of spit came with it, making him gag slightly. His body was sticky from the heat and now his pillow was damp. He only had himself to blame, but it didn’t stop him from simmering in his anger. His eyes burned from exhaustion and he closed them. If he didn’t sleep enough he’d feel like shit when he woke up, that was almost a guarantee. 

“Wilbur!” Wilbur lurched awake, his arm flailing in an attempt to grab the knife he kept on his bedside table. His limbs felt like jello, and his eyes hadn’t even focused yet. He could feel the warmth coming through the window in his room and he wondered what time it was. 

“Wilbur it’s me!” A familiar voice yelled. Wilbur sighed and let go of the knife, letting it clatter loudly on the wood. 

“Tubbo! Jesus Christ!” Wilbur groaned. He brushed a hand through his sweaty curls and tugged at the shirt clinging to his body. “I could’ve hurt you!” 

“You wouldn’t hurt me!” He protested. His blonde hair was sticking up wildly. “I trust you Wilbur! Really!” 

Wilbur sighed and rubbed at his sore eyes. He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but his body was screaming that it hadn’t been enough. If he pretended enough, this was just another day. He’d pack up his backpack, putting in his textbooks and notebooks, and then he’d go to school. He’d have lunch with his friends and play dnd with them after school, and he’d smoke with hesitance because he enjoyed the head rush. Then he’d go home and go to bed. 

“Wilbur?” Tubbo was crouching in front of him on his bed. 

“Jesus Christ Tubbo!” Wilbur groaned, pushing his sibling lightly so he fell back and bounced on the bed. “Person space!”

“Sorry. I was worried! You zoned out.” Tubbo mumbled. 

“I’m sorry Tubbo, I didn’t mean to yell. You startled me is all. Is everyone else awake?”

Tubbo nodded and yawned quietly, covering his mouth. “Yeah, Techno is outside though, I think he’s washing the stuff you got yesterday.” 

“Mm, he can do that. I don’t want to today.” Wilbur snorted. Tubbo laughed with him too and he smiled slightly. “What’re you up to today? Doing anything with Tommy?”

Tubbo hopped off of his bed and shrugged. “Maybe. I think he’s gonna try to teach me how to shoot a gun today.”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow at him and got up to change his clothes. “Don’t you already know how to shoot a gun?” 

“Well… yeah. But I haven’t used one in a while.”

“That’s fine, that’s a responsible thing to do. Make sure Phil is with you guys. Thanks for waking me up.” He provided. He had always wanted to be closer with Tubbo, but they just didn’t seem to bond correctly. Tubbo was soft but strong at the same time, and Wilbur could never quite guess what he would do next. He reminded him of himself too much. 

“No problem! I think your alarm clock stopped working, so I thought I’d wake you up.”

Before Wilbur could thank him again his brother walked out of his room, closing his door carefully. Was his alarm clock actually dead? It was one that used batteries so the power outages didn’t bother him, but it had been awhile since he’d changed them. He walked over to the small clock and true enough, no number flashed up at him, just a black screen. Wilbur sighed and said a small goodbye to his object friend. The chances of getting batteries for something like a clock anytime soon wasn't high. 

He pulled off his shirt and replaced it with a plain white t-shirt. Normally he would wear a sweater or something similar, but the heat was getting worse and he couldn’t stand it. His pajama pants were replaced with jeans and he didn’t bother putting on any socks or shoes yet. He did grab his beanie on the way out, tugging it down securely. 

“Phil?” He called, talking the stairs two at a time. His lip ached slightly from last night. 

“What?” His voice was muffled, coming from the kitchen. Wilbur walked into it and saw his father sipping something from a mug slowly. 

“Just wondering where you were is all.” 

“Well, I’m here.” His voice made Wilburs stomach twist and turn. 

“I see that!” He tried to force cheeriness into his voice. “You and Tech gonna go out later?”

“Probably, I’ll let you know.”

Wilbur nodded and grabbed one of the bottles of water they had pushed against a wall. It was dusty and when he drank it, it tasted faintly like he’d been at the beach and somehow gotten sand in his mouth. He wondered if Phil would ask him to go with, he was the oldest, didn’t he have that right? But no response came, just stifling silence that pressed into his temples. 

Without saying goodbye, Wilbur walked back upstairs and slipped his socks and shoes on. He grabbed his bag, his knife, and slid open his window. It wasn’t a large drop, but it was large enough that it would hurt if he didn’t land correctly. He held onto his bag and leaned out as far as he could before he let go, hearing it thump loudly on the ground. That could be his body. He imagined himself falling incorrectly, twisting in mid air like a cat in a desperate attempt to right himself in the air. He wouldn’t have enough time to obviously, and he’d hit the ground hard. He could imagine the few seconds of consciousness he would have before everything went dark. He would hear Phil yell, genuine concern in his voice for once. Maybe Techno would come running. 

Wilbur shook his head at the thoughts. He wouldn’t do that, that would never happen to him. He went out feet first, fingers gripping onto the sill for a few seconds as he attempted to shut the window as much as he could. Then, without looking down, he let go. The air whistled around him for only a second before he felt the shock travel up from his feet and made the rest of his limbs tingle. His teeth clicked together from the force and he squeezed his eyes shut at the sharp pain that came with it. He dropped into a crouch and clenched his jaw to not make a noise. It wasn’t one of his cleaner drops, and it made his fingers go numb for a few seconds. 

After taking a small breather, he grabbed his bag and after checking his surroundings, walked towards the city. He could do whatever he wanted, and he didn’t want to be around Phil or anyone else right now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I’m so sorry for the wait, life has gotten very busy! I’m going to try to update fairly consistently, but chapters will probably be slow and or short! Thanks so much again for the support, it means a lot! 
> 
> This is a shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Tommy fucking hated just about everything. His brothers were mean to him, the world had gone to shit, and his father only paid attention to the brother he hated the most. All in all, life was not his favorite thing right now. He and Tubbo shared a room, which was fun for the most part, but sometimes he wanted to be on his own. Techno had always been weird and rough with him, but it still annoyed him. It was the fucking apocalypse and he still had the guts to be rough with him? 

Wilbur was alright, he often apologized for what Techno said or did to him, that was nice. Wilbur was quieter though, he’d probably been hit the hardest in the family. Tommy was fond of most of Wilburs friends, but he loved Niki. He enjoyed teasing her and seeing Wilbur puff his chest out and defend her, it always made him laugh and started up a whole new round of teasing. They had been together with Niki and her siblings for a while at the beginning, they had absent parents to begin with, but when they had gone to their house they were all alone. So they lived with them. It felt like a weird sleepover. Then their whole little group went out to scavenge for food, extra mouths to feed and everything. He could still remember how Wilbur screamed when Niki and her two brothers got separated from them in a horde of rot and snapping jaws. He shut down after that and Tommy couldn’t blame him. 

Tubbo was his only friend left. He had plenty before everything, obviously. But Tubbo was the only one he could keep track of, living with him helped. He could hear Tubbo pacing up and down the hallway, steps hesitant and careful. Tommy was never sure if it was Tubbo trying to learn how to be quieter or if he was freaking out so badly he was simply pacing like a caged tiger. 

“Tubbo!” His voice was a harsh whisper as he stuck his head out from his door. Tubbo froze in place, leg raised. 

“Oh! Hi Tommy.” He grinned at him and walked over to him, pushing open the door. “I didn’t want to bug you.”

“So you decided pacing around like a circus animal was the next best thing?”

“So what if I did?” Tubbo huffed, crossing his arms. 

“You do you! Whatever!” Tommy sputtered. “Do you know where the rest of the household is?” He tried to tuck away any disgust in his voice. Just because he and Techno were on good terms didn’t mean Tubbo had to be fully immersed in it. 

“Do you still hate Techno?”

Tommy opened his mouth and closed it with an audible click of his teeth. He furrowed his brows and shrugged helplessly. “I don’t hate him, Tubs, just… I wish he would apologize to me. I deserve an apology.”

Tubbo remained silent but nodded, brushing his messy hair out of his face. 

“You look like a hippie.” Tommy joked, grinning. They all had longer hair, they didn’t have time for hair cuts, unless it was a quick thing that usually resulted in anger because it didn’t look good. Tubbos hair was probably the most noticeably long, it hung down in his eyes and he was almost constantly pushing it out of his face. 

“I do not!” Tubbo protested. Tommy let out a loud laugh when Tubbo pushed at his chest. “You look like a hobo!”

Tommy mocked offense at the small insult and then before he knew it was happening Tubbo grabbed him and then his head was against his chest and they were grappling with one another, playing like they had before. It was exhilarating in an odd way, being able to wrestle with someone and not fear for your life. 

The spat only lasted a couple of minutes and left both of them panting loudly, faces red and hair tousled. They collapsed on one another in a fit of giggles and for the first time in what felt like forever, Tommy’s cheeks hurt from smiling and his breath was coming in hurried gasps from his laughter. It felt good.

Tommy never felt uncomfortable around Tubbo, he was never sure why, it had always been like that though. Since the first day they’d met they were practically inseparable. Tubbo had been the last addition to their family, he was older in the system and it was rare for most to be adopted, of course his chances got lower as he aged. Then it was all happening so fast and suddenly he had a brother his own age. They had talked about video games and their previous home lives and everything else, shoving years of bonding into a single day and night. The memories made Tommy smile again, they had talked so much both of their throats were raw the next day. 

The apocalypse was rough on both of them, as it was on everyone, but they had pledged right at the beginning that they would never leave each other. Tommy would never break that promise if he could help it. “Hey,” he called, making Tubbo glance up at him from where he was focusing on the floor. “Do you think we could run away? Just you and me?”

Tubbo tilted his head to the side. “I mean, in theory, sure. Do you… want to run away?” His eyebrows knitted together in confusion, his nose scrunching up the way it always did. Tommy shifted nervously and smoothed down the imaginary wrinkles in his clothes. Did he want to run away? No Phil, no Wilbur… no Techno. He loved them, but did they love him?

“I don’t know! Maybe?” His voice cracked. “I’m not…” Tommy huffed out a heavy sigh, dragging his hands down his face. “We aren’t kids, Tubbo! I’m tired of them acting like we’re defenseless!” 

“I don’t enjoy fighting.” Tubbo replied calmly. His eyes were widened slightly, a lost puppy. “But if you go anywhere, I’d go too. But… they’re our family, Toms. Do you really just want to leave them? If you tell Phil that you’d like to do more-“

Tommy groaned loudly. He didn’t mean to cut Tubbo off, but the thought of telling Phil that he didn’t feel useful felt like a worse punishment then ripping his nails off. “No phil! He’s not… I don’t…” Tommy sniffled quietly as he broke his sentence off. Hot tears clouded his vision and made his cheeks burn. 

“Tommy?” His brother's voice was quiet, maybe he was scared, Tommy couldn’t guess accurately enough. He hid his head and let his tears drip down his cheeks and then splatter against the floor. He didn’t know why he was crying, he was too tough to cry, that’s what Phil had always said. “Hey it’s- it’s ok!” Tubbo whispered. Tommy could feel his hand ghost behind him and then he was being pushed into his brothers arms, which looped around him tightly. 

“I’m fine!” Tommy protested. He wasn’t fine, he’d felt like this for a while, that his whole family hated him or looked down on him. It was worse when it was proven. His cheeks were burning and his face was damp with tears, he must’ve looked like a right idiot. 

Tubbo didn’t reply, he just pressed his chin against Tommy’s mess of hair and occasionally would tighten his arms when Tommy’s body lurched with a new cry. He hated crying, he really hated crying over such stupid things, especially when it was in front of someone. But it felt nice too, to be hugged tightly and allowed to sob until he was gasping for breath and coughing. 

“I’ll run away with you if you want, Tommy. I will.” 

“Really?” His voice cracked pitifully and spurred on a new round of stinging tears. 

“If we’re careful, and maybe not for forever. Unless we like it.” There was still hesitance in his voice, Tommy couldn’t blame him. 

“Not for forever.” Tommy hummed. The idea of actually leaving made his fingertips tingle and he swallowed his excitement. No matter what happened, Phil would have to take him seriously now.


End file.
